WCS and several partner organizations join in praising the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Wildlife Without Borders (WWB) program. The groups recognized the program in a video that debuted on June 22 during an event on Capitol Hill attended by members of Congress, non-governmental organizations, and others. Guest speakers at the event included former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt and Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, President of the H. J. Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment. The new video documents successful partnerships aided by WWB in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In the video, partners in the WWB program discuss how their respective efforts in the region have benefited from the program. It also showcases an interview with WCS President and CEO Dr. Steven Sanderson.

“WCS is pleased to be a strategic partner in the Wildlife Without Borders program,” Sanderson says. “In our conservation work in places like the Karukinka Reserve in Tierra del Fuego, Chile, this program has been an invaluable funding mechanism. WWB leverages money so effectively, there are some instances where you can see eight times the investment returned.”

While the Latin American and Caribbean region is known for its incredible biodiversity, the landscapes and wildlife are exposed to a number of serious threats, including recurring natural disasters that place stress on its delicate ecosystems. The Wildlife Without Borders–Latin America and the Caribbean Program has supported conservation projects since 1990. In 2008, the program leveraged over $2.2 million and funded $946,687 towards 34 projects in 11 countries throughout the region.

To watch the WWB video, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLvz-DPP5DE.